Visor apparatus



Jan. 8, 1952 H. w. SMITH ETAL VISOR APPARATUS Filed July 17, 1948 fc @FORD alma/fsm HERMAN Patented Jan. 8, 1952 V,VISOR APPARATUS Herman Smith, Highland Park, andi Clifford. @Jackson Detroit, Mich., assignors to Chrysler Coi-poration, Highland Park,` Mich., a. corpora.-`

tion of. Delaware Application July 17, 1948,V Serial No. 39,304

sturdy device which will be economical not only to manufacturev but. also to. install for use.

A further Objectis toi provide a sun visor which mayf be applied to a streamline. styled vehicle yet produce a minimum or wind: drag and turbulence over its blended surfacecontours.

The detailed manner in whichy the` instant invention ma-y bei carried out and the further advantagesA resulting' therefrom will: become more apparent from a reading ot the` following description as.` interpreted in conjunction with the ac companyng l drawing in which:

Fig` 1 is a side elevation of4 the visor as' installed;

Fig. 2 isa schematic viewI showing theinherent flexing eiectrof the visor;

Fig; 3 is. a section through the` attached end of the visor; and

Fig. his across section ofthe ange as modied.

In` the assembly shown in Fig. 1, t0 represents a sun shade or visor which may be mounted on a streamline vehicle 3.0; Blending with the vehicleizroot` 3,2,A maybe seen a sloping windshield 34 divided by' a centerstrip,` 36l and bordered by trim molding 3.8:. At. the sidesof the windshield is a drip molding 40.

The visor is supported at its central or span portion. I2 bya center brace 50. This brace includes a body strut 52 pivoted at 54 to its visor bracket 56 which is affixed to the visor by some common means such as by riveting or welding. The lower end of strut: 5,2 is.; pinnedat 58 to its adjustable clamp 62. Clamp 62 hugs around theV anks of center strip. 3.6` in a. clam-shell fashion and when tight is immovable. Otherwise, the clamp may be slid along the center strip to af'- ford an adjustment in the spacing of the visor from thewindshield.

In addition tothe support lentl by brace 50, the span I2 is further reinforced'` by a downturned edge or bead I4 at its lower edge and flange l-B 4:y Claims'. (Cl. 2962-95.)

at its. upper edge. These reinforcements. may be. formed of the same piece integrallywi-.th the span or theymay be manufactured separately andi than. fabricated to the span byN riveting. weld-ing,4

Y crimping, soldering, orl the like.,v Terminali nor-V tions of` the visor are indicated by reference 11u'- merals 22 and are seen. attached tadrip moldings. All by clamps l0.

In reference to. Fig. 2,V the gentle. curve of: the span portion l2 of the visor isfseen. to be,y gradually bent into more pronounced4 curvature as at. terminal portion 22 whichy ends inthe tightlyP curved claws 24. A permanent flex is` produced in the visor during its manufacture. Being made 0fa spring strip ofv sheet material the visor then has a natural resiliency which causes it, to assume. in its free spring condition a bowed or arched shape indicated in, dotted position |0;". For in'-r stallation, the visor is extended and! sprung over the drip moldings 40 such; thatgthe claws or-jaws; 24v hug in around 4U.

The jaws. may then. be: clamped into position as` shown in Fig. 3.. The clamp` or retainer 'lll may consist of a. C-shaped4 flatr spring.` stripA held to the terminal portion 212 off the visor' by: a. screw 12. The free end 14. nts inside. molding dill, while the body portion;- '1.6 .and pierced end; 't8 ofrthe strip are apertured at 82 and 8.4;. respectively'to receive screwV 12. These segments` T6 and 1&substantially parallel toV each` other... are connected a curved segment whichV acts more or less as; a fulcrum` agency; The; registered apertures 8.2;` and 84` are spaced from the fulcrum; byan amountaf fording a favorablefleyerage ratio relativeto free end 14..

These C-clamps have beenouer; developedy, that is, designed for essentially a, straighteon and high; clamping factor,` in order to Provide for extra; tenacious holding power. Provision on the visor of reinforcing ns or ribs whichi project into an. air stream` tends to, prompt;` additional separating forces. asV between the..l passage defining members,l which. forces may: be.u acltci-n-tageouslyV overcome by: such extra secure clamps. Aperture 8.2. of the clamp. is formed byJ iiangeszwhich` are threaded for positive engagement with the screw; Hence as screwI 12 is tightened, the end 1.4 is urged toward j aw: 24: to` clamp the molding.

Asfhereinbefore stated in connection with Fig. 1, the span portion lf2`v isrrigidifiedv bythe round bead I4 at the lower, or leadingedge and flange |6 at the upper or trailing edge. The visor is predeterminedly spaced from the windshield in a manner such that the upper edge is the' :nearest portion to the vehicleproperI Thus thepassage defined by ilange I6 and top 32 must accommodate the flow of air normally passing over the windshield when the vehicle is in motion. The rush of such an air column as may be occasioned by high vehicle speeds has the undesirable effect on the usual sun visor of creating a hum, a flutter, or 'else-a whistle or howlv 'at the trailing edge .Y U

Experimentally it has been ascertained that if the trailing edge is turned back on itself enough to form an included acute angle and then the visor is disposed to the vehicles sloping windshield in a manner such thatfthe angleforming flange is eifectually parallell to the vehicle sur' face standing opposite, air may be conducted past the windshield without occasioning Karman I vortices or other swirls and forms of turbulence. The instant invention incorporates that idea in the mode of provision ofbange I6 on the trailing edge of the visor. Since an acute angle is included between the flange I5 and visor proper, the extent of the lip may be resolved into a substantial component when projected onto a plane lying normalwise to the visor proper. Hence, suiiicient rigidity is imparted to the structure without sacrifice of the non-turbulent and quiet feature of the construction. v

In Fig. 4 is shown another embodiment of the invention. Flange I6 may be seen to be disposed to the visor proper so as'to include downwardly an obtuse angle of the order of 120. In effect, the liange is substantially perpendicular to the vehicle surface lying opposite. Experiment has proved this construction to be conducive to nonturbulent air iiow and quiet operation. Again,

the extent of the ange may be resolved into a sizeable component lying normal to the visor proper, this'v component serving to furnish ample stiffness to the structure. Yet this flange reintroduces the air column beneath the visor to the column above the visor without producing air burbles and noise creating eddies.

While this invention has been disclosed by specific embodiment representation, it is apparent that various changes in form, number, and arrangement of parts may be made without departure from the spirit and scope thereof.

What is claimed is:

1. A sun visor adapted to be mounted forwardly of and above and to extend in a substantially upwardly converging relationship to a vehicle windshield, the sun visor comprising a sheet-like body portion having the opposite end edge portions thereof adapted for attachment toV the vehicle and having a free upper side edge extending between said end edge portions, the sheet-like visor portion being arranged to overhang the windshield -in spaced relation, said visor body portion having a fiat plate-like stiffening flange extending along the said free upper edge of the visor body portion and projecting downwardly from said body portion at an angle relative to the plane of said visor body portion, said flange providing an air flow con-v trol element that guides the air dow relative to the bodylportion as .air is caused to flow across the visor due .to forward motion of the vehicle.

2. A sun visor adapted'to be mounted for# wardly of and above andto extend in a substantially upwardly Vconverging relationship to a vehlclewindshield, the sun visor comprising a sheet-like body portion having the opposite end edge portions thereof adapted for attachment to thenvehicle and having afree upper side edge extendingrbetween saidend edge portions. the

sheet-like visor portion being arranged to overhang the windshield in spaced relation, said visor body portion having a at plate-like stiffening flange extending along the said free upper edge of the visor body portion and projecting downwardly from said body portion at an obtuse angle relative totheplane of said visor body portion, said flange Aproviding an air flow control element that guides the air flow relative to the body portion as air is caused to iiow across the Vvisor due to forward motion of the vehicle.

3. A sun visor adapted to be mounted forwardly of and above and to extend in a substantially upwardly converging relationship to a vehicle windshield, the sun visor comprising a sheet-like body portion having the opposite end edge portions thereof adapted for attachment to the vehicle and having a free upper side edge extending between said end edge portions, the sheet-like visor portion being arranged to overhang the windshield in spaced relation, said visor body portion having anat plate-like stiifening flange extending along the said free upperedge of thevisor body portion and projecting downwardly from said bodyportion at an acute angle relative to the plane of said visor body portion, said flange providing `an airflow control element that guides the air ow relative to the body portion as air is caused to ow across the visor due to forward motion of the vehicle.

4. The combination with a vehicle having an upwardly and rearwardly sloping windshield and a complemental streamlined body supporting said windshield, of a sun visor spaced forwardly from and above said windshield, the sun visor comprising a sheet-like body portion having the opposite end edge portions thereof attached to the vehicle body and having a free upper side edge extending between said end edge portions,

' the sheet-like visor body portion being arranged to overhang the windshield in converging, up-` wardly spaced relation which arrangement divides the airstream that flows over the vehicle windshield on forward motion of the vehicle into ,v two columns, the rst of said two columns passfrom said `body portion toward said windshield at an angle to theoplane of said visor body portion, said flange cooperating with said stream-y lined body contour to reintroduce said second column of air intosaid first column of air with a minimum of turbulence.

i f HERMAN W.SM1TH. Y v CLIFFORD C. JACKSON. REFERENCES CITED .The followingY references are of record in the le ofthis patent:v

UNITED STATES PA'IENTS Number j k Name Dater 1,394,084 Gross g r.. v Oct. 18, 1921 2,206,793 Staubly July 2, ,1940, 2,334,856 i Atkinson Nov; 23, 1943 2,447,246 Groboski etal. Aug. 17, 1948 Bracken ggga- VMay 9. 

